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Discovering Elvis Presley: The Truth Behind The Music Legend's Quick Rise To Fame

Inside the 'Hound Dog' star's first days as a struggling country boy.

In the summer of 1953, 18-year-old Elvis Presley went to the Memphis Recording Service and paid a $4 fee to make a record as a present for his mother, StarMagazine.com can reveal, and what happened next, defined musical history.

As is seen in Reelz’s Elvis: Behind Closed Doors Studio episode, studio co-owner Marion Keisker was immediately intrigued by the teen’s exotic look.

She asked young Presley whom he sounded like, to which he responded, “I don’t sound like nobody.”

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After hearing him sing, she realized he couldn’t have been more right.

Keisker mentioned Presley to her studio partner Sam Phillips. While he was initially unimpressed, and decided to pass on recording him, Keisker kept his phone number and contact info in her files.

After some time, the studio owners needed a singer to step in for a ballad, and so they called Presley. He came in, auditioned for the part, and while Phillips still wasn’t crazy about it, he and guitarist Scotty Moor eventually recorded Presley’s first ballad: That’s Alright Mama.

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As Star can report, many people tend to mention Phillips as having discovered Presley’s immense talent, yet insiders often claim it was Keisker who first discovered the star.

The blues song quickly got traction, and soon the shy country boy turned into a legendary musical icon.

Elvis: Behind Closed Doors airs Sunday, August 13 at 9 ET/PT.

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